Really, ECU and the rest of the lot need to work on performance, attendance (solid in ECU's case), and endowment in order to make the AAC work. The AAC and MWC should join the P5 in the new Division 4, but they need to push or end up like Kent, Troy and the like.

When ECU moved out of the Southern Conference, as did William & Mary years back, different aspirations happened.

ECU, then, had dreams of the ACC. While ECU has made strides as a University and certain dimensions of athletics, it is still a directionally-named school in a state with 4 ACC schools, and Appalachain State moving to the SB.

Unfortunately, East Carolina never had gotten attention to the ACC, and joined the CAA (except football, which went Independent) at the time before joining C-USA in 2001 as a full all-sports member after its football program joined there first a few years prior to that. So I doubt that ECU. would join the SEC. They'll stay well in The American as of next season.

They wanted FBS and got lucky with the CUSA invite.

Then they wanted the Big East, and got it now in the AAC after most of the schools have left.

Now they want the ACC but won't get it until the most of those schools leave and basically only the Wake Forest's of the world are left hanging a la Cincy/USF/UConn...

But after that they'll want the Big Ten or SEC...

Just enjoy basically sharing a BCS bowl bid with the MWC and shut up because by the time the ACC comes calling they'll be the ones sharing a BCS bid with the Big12 (now mostly made up of MWC/Western AAC schools).

_________________Fan of the Big 12 Conference, the Mountain West Conference and...

When ECU moved out of the Southern Conference, as did William & Mary years back, different aspirations happened.

ECU, then, had dreams of the ACC. While ECU has made strides as a University and certain dimensions of athletics, it is still a directionally-named school in a state with 4 ACC schools, and Appalachain State moving to the SB.

Unfortunately, East Carolina never had gotten attention to the ACC, and joined the CAA (except football, which went Independent) at the time before joining C-USA in 2001 as a full all-sports member after its football program joined there first a few years prior to that. So I doubt that ECU. would join the SEC. They'll stay well in The American as of next season.

They wanted FBS and got lucky with the CUSA invite.

Then they wanted the Big East, and got it now in the AAC after most of the schools have left.

Now they want the ACC but won't get it until the most of those schools leave and basically only the Wake Forest's of the world are left hanging a la Cincy/USF/UConn...

But after that they'll want the Big Ten or SEC...

Just enjoy basically sharing a BCS bowl bid with the MWC and shut up because by the time the ACC comes calling they'll be the ones sharing a BCS bid with the Big12 (now mostly made up of MWC/Western AAC schools).

Since which season did East Carolina became an FBS (or D-I-A at the time) member? Back when ECU was a SoCon member, the SoCon itself was D-I-A until the official D-I football type split in 1978, putting the SoCon in D-I-AA (now FCS) ever since.

When ECU moved out of the Southern Conference, as did William & Mary years back, different aspirations happened.

ECU, then, had dreams of the ACC. While ECU has made strides as a University and certain dimensions of athletics, it is still a directionally-named school in a state with 4 ACC schools, and Appalachain State moving to the SB.

Unfortunately, East Carolina never had gotten attention to the ACC, and joined the CAA (except football, which went Independent) at the time before joining C-USA in 2001 as a full all-sports member after its football program joined there first a few years prior to that. So I doubt that ECU. would join the SEC. They'll stay well in The American as of next season.

They wanted FBS and got lucky with the CUSA invite.

Then they wanted the Big East, and got it now in the AAC after most of the schools have left.

Now they want the ACC but won't get it until the most of those schools leave and basically only the Wake Forest's of the world are left hanging a la Cincy/USF/UConn...

But after that they'll want the Big Ten or SEC...

Just enjoy basically sharing a BCS bowl bid with the MWC and shut up because by the time the ACC comes calling they'll be the ones sharing a BCS bid with the Big12 (now mostly made up of MWC/Western AAC schools).

Since which season did East Carolina became an FBS (or D-I-A at the time) member? Back when ECU was a SoCon member, the SoCon itself was D-I-A until the official D-I football type split in 1978, putting the SoCon in D-I-AA (now FCS) ever since.

ECU left the SoCon in 1977 to be a Division 1 independent. In 1978 they went Division 1-A and have been that every since. They had a competative run in the late 80s prior to all the conference shuffling and the evaporation of the Independents. They even finished in the top ten in 1989.In many years they have been the best football team in North Carolina. Unfortunately for them they are a directional school and can't get away from it, even if they have a good football team. Some schools get opportunities and some don't. Would Louisvilee be joining the ACC next year if they hadn't been selected for the Big East?

Would Louisvilee be joining the ACC next year if they hadn't been selected for the Big East?

I think the answer is definitely a big fat no. Then again I also think ECU would also be snubbed by the ACC. I really wish that when the ACC raided the Big East in 2004-2005 the Big Ten and potentially the SEC would have jumped in and finished the job of killing Big East football. Pitt and Syracuse to the Big Ten (with an open spot for Notre Dame), WVU (and possibly Cusa's Louisville) to the SEC, Rutgers and UConn play fbs football as independents along with Temple or join MAC fb.

Then they wanted the Big East, and got it now in the AAC after most of the schools have left.

Now they want the ACC but won't get it until the most of those schools leave and basically only the Wake Forest's of the world are left hanging a la Cincy/USF/UConn...

But after that they'll want the Big Ten or SEC...

Just enjoy basically sharing a BCS bowl bid with the MWC and shut up because by the time the ACC comes calling they'll be the ones sharing a BCS bid with the Big12 (now mostly made up of MWC/Western AAC schools).

Actually, they'd love to be in the ACC, but because that was/is/will always be impossible, the focus turned to the Big East. Look at how they scheduled in the late 80's through much of the 90's. The BE basketball schools didn't want anyone, and West Virginia and Virginia Tech wanted no part of them there. So it then became CUSA, but Louisville wanted them even less than WVU and VT did in the Big East. Louisville to the matter of inviting ECU for just football all the way to court.

It isn't a coincidence that ECU only finally got a Big East invite once WVU and UL were out or nearly out.

ECU gets boxed into their situation for having the limiting name in the wrong location. Their predicament is somewhat understandable. When they reached for the higher level after the Sou. Conf., they knew finding close-by assoicates for a promising conference would be a struggle, but they took the risk. They've done major travel as some others.Most of their preferred competition has been closer, but out-of-conference. Given the circumstances, the AAC is a good spot for them right now. Nothing wrong with having ambition, but it's got to be termpered with reality. ECU is one of those places that can have up and down success in fb in a relatively short period.

ECU gets boxed into their situation for having the limiting name in the wrong location. Their predicament is somewhat understandable. When they reached for the higher level after the Sou. Conf., they knew finding close-by assoicates for a promising conference would be a struggle, but they took the risk. They've done major travel as some others.Most of their preferred competition has been closer, but out-of-conference. Given the circumstances, the AAC is a good spot for them right now. Nothing wrong with having ambition, but it's got to be termpered with reality. ECU is one of those places that can have up and down success in fb in a relatively short period.

Much like USM, it's been more up than down. The problem is, schools with some stroke eagerly exploit the down cycles. ECU got busted in the late 90's/early 00's for some recruiting matters and other things, and I'm pretty sure they were ratted out by one of their detractors in the BEF, ACC, or CUSA. I think them beating UMFL that one season pissed off a lot of schools who didn't take kindly to a school with a funky name getting one over on the great Florida beast. Surely they were cheating!

It is what it is. Now having ODU, Charlotte, and App State in the pool will prove an interesting situation for the Pirates. Do they do what the other eastern indies do and block these newcomers from getting to the same level that the Pirates fought so hard to reach, or do they band together and put the region on notice that the flagships and "Magnolia League" schools don't rule the region?

With the Power 5 increasingly separating themselves from the American and the other 4 lesser FBS leagues perhaps there is some room for opportunity for the American and the other jilted conferences. It would be nice if those 5 leagues could organize an 8 team playoff for their champions and 3 at large teams. If the power 5 are going to crown their national champion there ought to be a national champion for this de facto 2nd tier of college football. The ability to claim national titles could be great recruiting tool for these programs as well as be a source of pride for the forgotten 5.

Another thought is that it would be nice if these leagues could work together to form a tv network to showcase the games not aired by their other tv partners. It would be regional in flavor with games being aired in each media market based on local interest (so here in Central Ohio I would be seeing games featuring the MAC and Cincinnati at noon, 3:30, & 7:00 while out west would get 3 MWC games, and in the south they would get the local American, C-USA, and SBC games since those leagues overlap geographically and aren't concentrated in one specific area).

Let me posit a hypothetical scenario: if another major conference shift occurs in let's say 5 years or when ever the Big 12 and ACC GOR are up what happens to the American? Do the western members end up casting their lot with the schools left over from the Big 12 raid? Do some of the eastern members end up with the left behind ACC schools?

I'm inclined to think that the 5 truly western schools go with whoever is left in the Big 12 simply for their markets (Houston, the other half of the DFW market, New Orleans, and Memphis) and to fill a geographic gap (Tulsa). The Cincinnati bearcats could be in the mix too if WVU is still with the Big 12 group and not with the ACC group.

It's the eastern schools I'm not so sure about. If any ACC schools in NC are left (which I imagine at least WF will be) then ECU will face opposition. BC hates UConn. If the ACC has any FL schools left then UCF and USF will likely both be blocked

Let me posit a hypothetical scenario: if another major conference shift occurs in let's say 5 years or when ever the Big 12 and ACC GOR are up what happens to the American? Do the western members end up casting their lot with the schools left over from the Big 12 raid? Do some of the eastern members end up with the left behind ACC schools?

I'm inclined to think that the 5 truly western schools go with whoever is left in the Big 12 simply for their markets (Houston, the other half of the DFW market, New Orleans, and Memphis) and to fill a geographic gap (Tulsa). The Cincinnati bearcats could be in the mix too if WVU is still with the Big 12 group and not with the ACC group.

It's the eastern schools I'm not so sure about. If any ACC schools in NC are left (which I imagine at least WF will be) then ECU will face opposition. BC hates UConn. If the ACC has any FL schools left then UCF and USF will likely both be blocked

If the ACC loses any members they will add UConn, Cincy, and WVU in a heartbeat, USF might squeak in if they lose 1 FL school, UCF if they lose both, and ECU isn't getting in unless UNC/NCSU/Duke all bolt, UMass won't get in unless BC leaves, Buffalo won't get in unless Syracuse leaves, and Temple is a wildcard.

However, should the AAC plan to focus on finding a 12th member at this moment during this season before July 1, 2014; so that Navy would be pushed back as an affiliate?

With realignment rumors about Cincinnati and Connecticut potentially finding homes in the Power-5 Conferences, I would think the AAC would want to look at add 3 more schools. I would say Marshall, Northern Illinois, and Buffalo, but I think the MAC schools are probably happy as it is.

With realignment rumors about Cincinnati and Connecticut potentially finding homes in the Power-5 Conferences, I would think the AAC would want to look at add 3 more schools. I would say Marshall, Northern Illinois, and Buffalo, but I think the MAC schools are probably happy as it is.

I agree with those 3 MAC schools staying in where they are. And also I agree with the part that Cincy and UConn should be the next targets to join the ACC. Because the AAC does look like C-USA, but nothing like the Old Big East.

But how about UMass? For Temple's sake in basketball. For football, both schools might build up a rivalry. But so far, there are lesser FBS schools in the Northeastern U.S. (UConn, UMass, SUNY-Buffalo, Temple, Boston College, Pitt, Syracuse and Penn St.)

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